Harsh words for Chael Sonnen from the former Pride FC champion Wanderlei Silva.

Sonnen, as well all know, reveres nothing and he has spent the last couple of years freely bashing Wanderlei, Brazil, Pride FC, Anderson Silva and more on the way to becoming one of the most talked-about personages in MMA today.

It is also widely known - or at least suspected - that Sonnen behind the scenes is different to Sonnen on-camera and that there is a certain amount of salesmanship going on with his controversial utterances. But that cuts no ice with Wanderlei - if you say something about him, that’s it, regardless of your intentions.

“He fights with his mouth. He’s not a top guy. He creates that style and looks for guys to give attention to him. But face to face, he’s like a kid. He’ll cry like a baby, man,” he told Mauro Ranallo on The MMA Show.

“This guy lost respect from me. Not one fighter respects him. I don’t like his style and I hope Anderson Silva kicks his ass. I think Anderson will be knock out Chael in the third round.”

It is a familiar riff from all the Brazilian fighters, who have been rendered first dumbstruck then incensed by Sonnen’s ceaseless verbal attack on the country and its fighters. His jibes include claiming to be unaware that Brazil had computers or internet access and an allegation that the Nogueira brothers, encountering a bus for the first time, tried to feed it carrots.

Sonnen’s underlying theme is that Brazil is a third-world backward country. While the country does have severely impoverished regions and a serious issue with inner-city slums, it is also one home to considerable wealth and is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.